


All My Kanes

by thekabbywritersroom



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: All The Tropes, Collaboration, F/M, Fluff, Fun, Kabby, Smut, Soap Opera, Teamwork, Twins
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-11
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2019-10-26 10:30:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17744231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekabbywritersroom/pseuds/thekabbywritersroom
Summary: In present day San Francisco we meet the Kane brothers, feuding twins who couldn't be more different, and the woman who is about to shake up both their lives, one Dr Abby Griffin.





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> The Kabby fanfic you never knew you needed until now! 
> 
> A collaboration between @isoshepherd, @KateJaneway25 and @fingal1962, cheered loudly from the sidelines by @kanemearse.

**Richmond, San Francisco. Present Day**

Marcus Kane sat on the terrace of his clifftop home, sipping a masala chai and staring at the ocean. It was the morning after his birthday, which he’d celebrated at home. A dozen of his closest friends had enjoyed fire dancers and acrobats who’d made Marcus feel every one of his thirty-five years with their youthful athleticism.  He looked at his Apple Watch. Ten o’clock. He really ought to go into the office soon, but the germ of a song had been running through his head ever since he’d watched the glow of the fire ribbons against the setting sun and he wanted to get the gist of it down.

Marcus padded barefoot across the warm terrace and into the living room. Two people were still sprawled out on the large, white sofa, sleeping off the effects of the night before. He couldn’t tell who they were because they were face planted into the cushions. Marcus waited a moment to make sure they were still breathing. He didn’t drink alcohol anymore, having got tired of its effects on his body, how much it drained his energy. He wanted to be alive to the world at all times, to see its colours vividly, to smell the earth and the sea. What was the point of living somewhere as beautiful as Richmond if you spent half the day in bed recovering from the night before as Marcus had done throughout most of his twenties?

He retrieved his guitar and notepad from his bedroom and returned to the terrace. He stroked his beard while he contemplated the images from the night before, then wrote a few lines, strummed some chords. This was going to be a good song; he had positive vibes about it. Just as Marcus was falling into that creative zone where the rest of the world would disappear, and he would forget he was the Chief Executive Officer of a Fortune 500 company, where he really should be at this moment instead of song writing, his iPhone buzzed with a text. He ignored it, but then it buzzed again, and a third time. That was the bat signal from his assistant, Harper, that he needed to pay attention to something urgent. Damn!

The text told him to check his email, which he did. There was a message from the Chair of the Board of Trustees at his company, Kane Antiquities, summoning him to an urgent Board meeting. There was no ignoring it. Sighing, Marcus returned to his bedroom, pulled on a white cotton shirt and grey slacks and ran a brush through his dark, wavy hair. He picked up the keys to his Porsche E-Hybrid and left the house, softly humming the refrain of his new song.

 

**SOMA, San Francisco. Same Day**

Gabriel Kane woke to sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows that lined one half of his penthouse apartment bedroom. He put his arm over his eyes to shield them from the pain the light was causing. He’d turned thirty-five the day before, and not in the mood to celebrate the event, he’d sat alone in the bar on the ground floor of his building and drunk more than a few champagne cocktails. He could barely remember most of the evening. He didn’t drink much, but when he did it wasn’t pretty the next day. He flung his arm across the bed to reach the remote control for the blinds and encountered a soft, warm body. Oh, fuck. He’d forgotten about that.

Gabriel forced himself to sit up so he could survey the damage. There was an empty bottle of champagne and two glasses on the floor beside the bed. His suit and tie were heaped in a pile on the chaise longue. A woman’s red dress was draped over them, one of a pair of high heels sat beneath the chair. There was no sign of the other one. He turned to look at the owner of the dress. She was sleeping with her back to him, completely naked. Long, golden-brown hair curled down her spine, its tips nestling above the small of her back. Her ass was tight and curved. Gabriel had a flashback to his hands gripping that ass as he carried her to his bed. What was her name? He couldn’t remember.

The woman stirred, stretched and turned over, giving Gabriel a full view of her nice firm breasts and flat stomach. She was beautiful, he remembered that. Long legs, tight ass outlined in her red dress, breasts pushed together, the swell of them visible in the vee of her dress. Classy, but sexy as hell. She’d walked into the bar and sat next to him, ordering whatever he was having, and then fixed him with a hard look and a soft smile. She had dark eyes, deep and liquid. He’d lost himself in them. It was all coming back to him now. Drinking together, the elevator ride to his apartment, her hands grabbing his ass, his face buried in her cleavage. His cock stirred at the memory. He still couldn’t remember her name.

She opened her eyes, blinking against the harsh Californian sunlight, and turned to look at him.

“Oh,” she said, and Gabriel winced at the disappointment in her voice.

“Good morning,” he said coolly.

“Yes, sorry. Good morning.” The woman sat up, surveyed the room as Gabriel had. She didn’t bother to cover herself up, evidently wasn’t bothered that he was seeing her naked in the cold light of day. “I didn’t mean to be rude. I was surprised, that’s all.” She laughed softly. “Looks like we had a good night.”

“I don’t really remember it,” said Gabriel, which was a lie, because every glorious moment was now replaying itself in his mind as he looked at her. It was having an unavoidable effect on his body, which she couldn’t fail to notice, but she ignored it.

“I see.” The woman swung her long legs over the side of the bed and stood. “I don’t normally do this kind of thing,” she said as she hunted for her underwear. “I guess everyone says that, but I really don’t.”

“Why did you, then?” said Gabriel, interested despite himself.

“I’m in San Francisco for business reasons. And there was something, back home. I needed an escape.” She pulled on her underwear, found her bra and fastened that.

Gabriel thought he should perhaps look away, give her some privacy, but he couldn’t take his eyes off her. “Glad to be of service,” he said, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

She looked at him sharply, one eyebrow raised. “You may claim not to remember it,” she said, “but you certainly enjoyed it. Both times.” She stepped into her dress, looking at him the whole time so he had nowhere to escape, no opportunity to hide the warmth that was creeping into his face at how clearly she had seen through his lie.

His phone buzzed with a text and he looked at it, grateful for the excuse to look away from her piercing gaze. It was from one of the secretaries at his company, telling him to check his email. He opened up the app, aware of every move the woman made in the periphery of his vision as she slipped on her heels. The email was a summons from the Chair of the Board of Trustees at his company. There was an emergency Board meeting he had to attend.

“I have to go,” he said, and he got off the bed, facing her in all his glory. He was gratified to see her run her eyes over his body, over his pecs, down to his muscled abs, and his cock, which was full and heavy. It was going to be painful having to go to work without taking care of that. He could ask her, but then she might bite it off.

“I have to go as well.” She looked in the mirror, ran her fingers through her tangled curls, shrugged, and then turned to look at him. “Last night was fun,” she said, arched her eyebrow, and then headed for the door.

Gabriel stood and watched the space she’d vacated for a moment. Last night was fun, she’d said, but he had the feeling there was an unsaid part to that sentence, i.e. this morning was definitely not fun. She wasn’t his type anyway. A ball-buster, without a doubt. He jumped in the shower and then shaved, sleeked back his short dark hair. He dressed in a dark suit, with white shirt and blue tie, and called his driver to take him to the Financial District.

 

**Financial District, San Francisco. Same Day**

Abby Griffin walked down the hallway on the top floor of the tallest office building in San Francisco. She’d got vertigo as the express elevator sped to its destination, and she was walking slowly now, trying to regain her equilibrium. She clutched her soft leather briefcase which contained her entire life, all the things she couldn’t live without, except for her phone, which she hadn’t been able to find anywhere.

She hadn’t had time to shower this morning, so she’d swept her hair into a messy updo from which strands were escaping that at best she hoped were framing her face attractively and at worst were making her look like she didn’t own a hairbrush. She’d lost a contact lens and her eyes were sore anyway so she was wearing her black-rimmed glasses which kept slipping down her nose. She was ten minutes late for the meeting, which wasn’t very professional, but if she walked in confidently it would make her seem in control, a woman who dictated her own agenda. It was all in how you held yourself.

She took a deep breath, then pulled open the double doors to the meeting room with a flourish. She was confronted with a familiar scene: a long table occupied primarily with men in suits and one token woman. A man with grey hair who looked to be in his late sixties stood.

“Dr Griffin?”

“Yes.”

“I’m Dr Alexander, we spoke on the phone. I’m the Chair of the Board of Trustees and I’ve been with the company since its inception.”

“Abby Griffin. It’s good to meet you.” Abby shook Dr Alexander’s hand.

The Chair introduced her to the people around the table who were the other trustees and the company’s Chief Financial Officer.

“Is the CEO not here?” said Abby, pulling a sheaf of papers from her briefcase and setting them on the table.

“He’s on his way. He had an earlier meeting.” Dr Alexander looked away as he said this, so Abby knew he was lying. Interesting.

The doors opened again and a small, slim woman with blonde hair tied into a pony tail walked in, followed by a tall man with dark brown hair and eyes and a full beard that was starting to grey at the edges. Abby’s eyes narrowed when she saw him. There was something familiar about him, but she didn’t know what. She must have seen pictures of him, perhaps, in the financial papers. He was dressed casually, his white shirt unbuttoned, the sparse hairs of his broad chest on display. He couldn’t be the CEO.

“This is Marcus Kane, CEO of Kane Antiquities,” Dr Alexander said. “This is Dr Griffin. She’s here to help us with a problem.”

Marcus smiled broadly, held out his hand to Abby who took it. He had a firm handshake, warm and welcoming. “Lovely to meet you. I don’t know what our problem is but thank you for coming to help us with it.” He smiled again, then whispered to the blonde girl who disappeared, coming back a moment later with a jug of water and a tray of glasses.

“Water?” he said, and Abby nodded, grateful for the drink because her head was throbbing and the lights in the room were making her eyes hurt.

Marcus took a seat at the far end of the table. “Are we ready to start?”

Dr Alexander coughed. “We’re still waiting for your brother.”

Marcus folded his arms, shook his head. “If he can’t be here on time, then we shouldn’t wait,” he said, which Abby thought was a bit rich considering he himself had been late.

“He won’t like that,” said Dr Alexander.

“We are not here to please my brother. Please begin, Dr Griffin.”

Abby stood behind a chair at the centre of the table. She liked to be free to move when she talked. It helped her think.

“My name is Dr Abby Griffin. I’m an expert in...” She didn’t get to finish her sentence because the doors opened again and she turned to look who it was. Her stomach dropped like it had in the express elevator and her hands grew sweaty, her brow cold. It was the man she’d picked up in the bar last night. The man who’d been so disappointed to wake up next to her he’d pretended not to remember what they’d done. She’d never known his name.

He sauntered in with a confident swagger and stopped short when he saw her. They stared at each other. She saw him swallow hard, but then he recovered, stood straight, fixed her with a cool stare.

“My brother, Dr Griffin,” Marcus said with a sigh. “Gabriel Kane.”

“Hello,” said Abby, glad to hear that her voice sounded reasonably normal and not high-pitched and squeaky which she’d been sure it would be.

Gabriel nodded at her, then took his seat at the opposite end of the table to his brother.

“Please continue,” said Marcus, and Abby shuffled her papers again to give her time to regain her composure. No wonder Marcus had looked so familiar. They were clearly brothers, twins perhaps, because they would look exactly the same if Marcus shaved his beard and cut his hair. She hoped this problem would be solved quickly so she wouldn’t have to work with either of them for long.

“My name is Dr Abby Griffin,” she said again. “I’m a PhD not a medical doctor, and I’m an expert in antiquities, particularly in relation to fraud, forgery and theft, or the three ‘fs’ as I like to call them.”

“There aren’t three ‘fs’ in that,” said Gabriel with a frown.

“I know,” said Abby looking at a spot above his head so she wouldn’t have to see his face. “It’s my little joke. It usually breaks the ice.” She didn’t have to see his face to know that it had reddened like it had that morning. She felt bad, even though he’d been so rude, and wished she hadn’t made the joke. Oh, well. What’s done is done.

“Anyway. All my credentials are in a pack in front of you, so you can check if you feel the need. I was called by Dr Alexander to meet with you to see if I can help you with your problem. I’m also a fixer; solving problems for companies is what I do.”

“I still don’t know what the problem is,” said Marcus. “What are we all doing here?”

“I can explain that,” said Dr Alexander. “I’m sorry for the suddenness of this meeting, and I’m grateful to Dr Griffin for flying from New York to help us at such short notice.”

“It’s my pleasure,” said Abby. “Problem-solving is by its very nature a last-minute job. I’m used to dropping everything at a moment’s notice.”

She regretted her choice of words when she felt Gabriel lift his head from reading her papers to look at her. She glanced in his direction and he was smirking. The bastard. She stared back, just to show she wasn’t to be intimidated.

“We’ve had a complaint about a recent shipment of antiques that came in via Cairo,” continued Dr Alexander. “It’s a big client that has made the complaint, and a big supplier that’s the subject of it. We need to get on top of this before it spirals and we end up with a formal inquiry and a stain on our reputation.”

“That’s where I come in,” said Abby. “Over the next couple of days I will be conducting interviews with yourselves and your employees, while my team will be investigating the suppliers. I already have a man on the way to Cairo. As an expert in forgeries I will head down to the Port where the cargo is still being held so I can examine the pieces for myself.”

“I’m sure there is nothing untoward to find, Dr Griffin. My father founded this company forty years ago on sound principles and that has continued under my leadership I can assure you,” said Marcus with passion.

Abby thought she heard Gabriel mutter “what leadership” under his breath, but she didn’t look in his direction. “I am here to find the truth, whatever that may be. It is better to face up to reality than to hide from it. Only then can you begin to solve your problems.”

“Thank you, Dr Griffin,” said Dr Alexander. “Is there anything more you need from us now?”

“I only ask for your full and frank cooperation. If I need access to something whether it be business or personal I expect it to be granted.”

“It will,” said Marcus. “I for one have nothing to hide.”

“Are you saying I do have something to hide?” growled Gabriel.

“I said nothing of the sort.” Marcus looked away from Gabriel and smiled at Abby. “Shall we adjourn?”

The meeting broke up and Abby gathered her papers together. All the packs she’d left with her credentials were still there, except for two. Both Kane brothers had taken theirs. Dr Alexander was the only person left in the room when Abby had cleared her things away.

“Is there something between the brothers?” she said. “Something I should know?”

“I’ll give you the short version because life’s too short for the long one,” said Dr Alexander with a roll of his eyes. “Marcus and Gabriel are twins, but Marcus is older by two minutes. When their father died five years ago he left them equal shares in the company but he made Marcus CEO, and didn’t give a role to Gabriel.”

“Oh, that must have been a difficult time,” said Abby.

“You don’t know the half. It was a surprise to us all, actually, not just Gabriel, because he’d been his father’s right-hand-man. Marcus was never hugely interested in the business, not the financial side. He likes the art, the finds. Since then the brothers don’t speak to each other unless they can help it. You’re going to have your work cut out with them.” He smiled and tapped Abby’s shoulder. “Good luck!”

Abby followed Dr Alexander out of the meeting room, taking her leave of him at the elevator. She was going to grab a coffee at the café on the ground floor before she got to work. She stood in the elevator, feeling less sick now that her hangover was lessening. She thought about Gabriel Kane. Of all the dumb luck. She never had a one-night stand, well rarely, and she finally decided to let her hair down and have something no-strings, and he turns out to be her client for God knows how many days or weeks.

She’d been surprised when she woke, thinking she was in her hotel room, and then turning over to find him staring at her with dark unfathomable eyes. He’d been looking at her naked body, not that there was anything wrong with that, but he’d been enjoying the view and then he’d flat out pretended he couldn’t remember sleeping with her, as though her body was good enough for him but the rest of her was a disappointment and he didn’t want to prolong his time with her. It was a shame, because the sex had been good. Better than good. Amazing. She could have gone another round with that lovely cock and those clever fingers that morning, if he hadn’t treated her like shit. His loss.

When she reached the café, Marcus Kane was sitting at a table. He beckoned her to him, kicked out a chair so she could sit down.

“Can I get you a coffee Dr Griffin?” he said.

“It’s Abby, please, and an espresso would be good. A double one.”

Marcus indicated their order to the waiter and turned back to Abby. “A double espresso kind of day and it’s not even lunchtime. Is the Kane problem that bad?”

One of you is, thought Abby, but she didn’t say that. It was strange looking at him, seeing his brother’s eyes looking back at her, warmer though, twinkling, whereas Gabriel’s were like lasers that pierced through to the darkest part of you.

“That remains to be seen,” said Abby with a smile.

“You can ask me anything,” said Marcus. “I had a misspent youth but for the last few years I’ve been more responsible. Not boring, though, I hope.” He smiled at her again with those eyes, and Abby grew warm beneath their gaze. The beard suited him, made him more carefree than his brother, more open. He made her feel instantly comfortable.

“There will be time for that,” she said. “I’ll be working out a schedule for meeting everyone after I’ve had my drink.”

Marcus leaned back as their coffees arrived. “That’s good. So you have time to shoot the breeze for a while, then?”

Abby took a sip of her coffee. God, it was good. She felt a spike of energy flow through her veins. “I suppose I could spare a few minutes.”

“Good,” said Marcus. “Tell me about yourself.”

Abby contemplated him for a moment, then decided there was nothing wrong with talking casually to him, as long as she kept a level of professionalism. She was in the middle of telling him her funniest story about the fake hermaphrodite statues when she saw Gabriel walk past. He was looking at them, his face unreadable. Abby held his gaze. She smiled, because she was going to have to work with him and it was better to be on good terms than bad, but he didn’t smile back. He carried on walking, his arms held stiffly by his side, and he didn’t look back.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we learn a little more about family relationships and Abby thinks about The Beard!

"I'm sorry about my brother," Marcus said with a small chuckle once Gabriel was out of earshot. "I'm afraid _he_ inherited the good looks and _I_ got all the charm."

Abby smiled. How often had he used _that_ line? "That's quite alright. And yes, looks aside, you do seem very different. You'd hardly believe you were brothers to be honest." Damn. She took a hasty sip of her coffee, trying not to choke when it went down the wrong way. Had that sounded like she was inviting him to talk about his brother? Not that she wasn't curious as hell, but given last night's shenanigans, she desperately needed to keep things professional with _both_ brothers.

Marcus said nothing for a moment, just gazed at her with those warm brown bedroom eyes and she found herself wondering if he'd be as amazing in bed as his twin. She couldn't help a glance at the long slim fingers curled around his coffee cup, as she remembered how Gabriel had coaxed not one but two orgasms from her in quick succession. Mind you, he hadn't been using just his fingers. And Marcus had the added delight of a beard which would…. _Stop it right now_ she chided herself.

"It's a long story," Marcus said eventually. "Far too long a tale to tell over coffee, at least." He bit his lower lip and gave her a smile that was almost bashful.

Damn it! Was he about to ask her out for dinner? Surely not.

She was rehearsing a firm but regretful reply when she was saved by the sound of music playing, some sort of indie-folk song she couldn't quite place.

Marcus gave her an apologetic smile and reached behind him to pull his iPhone out of his back pocket. He stared at it for a moment as if deciding whether to answer then tapped the screen and put the phone to his ear.

"What's up, kiddo?" His voice was warm and soft, and his eyes were alight with affection.

Abby could hear a woman's voice on the other end of the line, and she looked away discreetly.

"Well you never just call for a chat so obviously something's…What? Goddammit, Raven."

He was frowning now, and Abby suddenly wished she were somewhere else. She looked down into her espresso, there was just a mouthful left. Should she drain it and walk away, or should she stay and listen to her client having an argument with his girlfriend? If that's who it was. She tried to imagine what sort of woman Marcus Kane would be attracted to. Free-spirited probably like himself and definitely beautiful. Exotic too, if the name Raven was anything to go by.

"I'll send someone over," he was saying. "And after that, Raven, I want you back here for a while where we can keep an eye on you. It's been too long. Call me when you get out, okay?" He ran his fingers through his hair and a wayward curl flopped down over his forehead. "Yeah, love you too."

He hung up then shook his head and smiled at Abby. "Sorry about that. Listen, I'm going have to cut and run. Family stuff. But let me know when you want to meet up. I'll be free for the rest of the day once I sort this business out."

 

Marcus took the elevator up to his office, cursing Raven under his breath. He'd been enjoying Dr Griffin's company and had managed to put out of his mind the fact that she was only there on business. They could have been two people just having coffee and getting to know one another and he'd been seriously thinking of asking her out to dinner. Which was fast, even for him, but the woman was dangerously attractive with those cinnamon brown eyes and that mouth that looked as if it was about to break into the most deliciously naughty smile. And those glasses that looked ever so slightly too large for her face…Hell that was a sexy look. He imagined himself taking them off and letting down her hair so that it tumbled over her shoulders. Or maybe he'd get her to keep the glasses on…

On the other hand, perhaps the call from his sister had come at just the right time. It was never a good idea to mix business with pleasure. He grinned to himself. He adored Raven, but when it came to being irresponsible, she was worse than him. God only knew what Gabriel would have to say about this latest escapade. At the thought of his brother, his grin twisted itself into a grimace. He tried to get on with him and he was sure as very young children they'd been as close as twins could possibly be, but they'd just been so _different_ from one another. They'd started to grow apart at some time during their childhood, going off in completely different directions, and they'd just never found their way back.

The elevator reached the top floor and he stepped out and headed in the direction of his office, almost colliding with his assistant at the door.

"Harper, whatever it was you were about to do in such a hurry, can you leave it for the moment and do me a favour? Can you get hold of my brother and ask him to come up to my office immediately?"

He strolled into his office, where he threw himself into his cream leather Eames chair, then pushed a button on his desk.

"Harper before you do that, can you get me Jacapo Sinclair on the line? Thanks."

 

 

Gabriel couldn't help but feel aggrieved at being summoned to his brother's office by his assistant. It felt like an unnecessary display of power. Marcus could have given him a discreet call or text to let him know he needed to speak to him, rather than having him summoned so publicly.

He stopped outside the office and adjusted his tie. At least one of them needed to look like a professional.

Marcus was on the phone when Gabriel walked in and he gestured for him to take a chair. So not only was he being summoned, but he was also being made to wait. Could this day get any better? Unwilling to do his brother's bidding even in so small a thing as taking a seat, he strolled instead to the floor to ceiling window which looked out over the bay. The view usually managed to soothe him, there was something so relaxing about watching the small pleasure craft skipping along on the waves but today, nothing was going to help his state of mind.

That damn woman, Dr Griffin. Of all the women he could have picked up in the bar last night, he had to pick the one who was going to be working with the company. And what made it worse, he'd been a total ass to her this morning. Why had he said he didn't remember anything? He remembered every little detail now. How that red dress had looked so snug, clinging to her every curve, accentuating her tight little ass and amazing breasts, but how when he'd reached behind her and pulled down her zip, it had slipped off her shoulders and pooled at her feet as if impatient to show the delights beneath. She'd been wearing black lace underwear underneath her dress and he remembered sinking to his knees and pressing his nose against the scrap of lace that covered her sex. He'd inhaled her scent, sweet, musky and intoxicating then he'd eased her panties down and pressed his lips against her as she'd grasped his hair and groaned like a satisfied cat. He remembered…

"Sorry about that," Marcus broke into his thoughts, and the erection he'd been getting at the thought of Abby Griffin died as suddenly as it had sprung into life.

Gabriel turned and walked back over to the desk where he sat in the chair opposite Marcus.

"Do you have any idea how this happened?" he said curtly.

"What? Oh, you mean the shipment?" said Marcus frowning. "No, no idea at all. I'm trusting Dr Griffin to find that out for us. She's the expert."

_She certainly is_ , thought Gabriel at the memory of her slim hands wrapped around the base of his cock and her tongue licking along his shaft as if he was her favourite ice-cream. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"I asked you here to tell you about Raven," said Marcus. "She's been arrested. I've spoken to Sinclair and he's going over there now to sort out bail. She phoned me from the 94th precinct in Brooklyn."

"What's she done now?" Gabriel said, his heart sinking.

Although he and Marcus had their differences, the one thing that bound them together was their love for their younger sister. But she was a constant worry. They were both always on at her to move back to San Francisco, but she'd fallen in love with New York when she'd attended the New York Academy of Art and now she never came home except for the occasional short visit. She loved the Bohemian lifestyle of Greenwich Village and she had her friends there and after all she was twenty-four, a grown woman, but she had a nose for trouble and Gabriel swore she was the sole reason for the grey strand he'd found in his hair last year.

"She was part of a demonstration against models wearing fur at some fashion show," said Marcus. "Things got out of hand and Raven got herself arrested." His expression was amused and maybe even a little proud and Gabriel pursed his lips.

"You don't seem too worried," he said.

Marcus shrugged. "It's a minor misdemeanour. She's not going to jail, Gabriel."

"No, but we don't want the papers getting hold of it," said Gabriel. "We've enough going on right now with this complaint."

"That's why Sinclair's putting her on the next flight home," said Marcus. "She'll be here this evening."

"Good," said Gabriel shortly. "And what about this other business? I saw you talking to Dr Griffin in the café earlier. What was the outcome?"

"Oh, we didn't get around to discussing business," said Marcus. "We were just chatting, getting to know one another."

"I see," said Gabriel, his voice tight. He breathed in slowly through his nose to control the feeling of annoyance that his brother's words had occasioned. Part of him wanted to shout, I saw her first! But he was being ridiculous. All he'd had with Abby Griffin was a meaningless one-night stand and Marcus didn't even know about that, at least he hoped he didn't. No, Dr Griffin would never be so indiscreet, she'd want to keep their liaison secret every bit as much as he did.

It was just that it had always been like this with Marcus. People thought the enmity between them was because Marcus was CEO, but it went back much further than that.

Gabriel often wondered whether his brother had been first-born because he'd pushed his way out, eager to be the first one, the most beloved one. Gabriel had been second, almost an afterthought and although their parents had never treated them any differently, it had always seemed to Gabriel that they loved Marcus more. If Marcus had a football game that clashed with Gabriel giving a violin recital, their father would always go to the game. Vera would come to watch Gabriel play, but he'd always had the feeling she'd rather be at the game. Then when Marcus had belatedly shown some interest in music, learning the guitar at fourteen, of course he'd been a natural and was soon writing and playing his own songs much to the delight of their mother. Gabriel had stopped playing violin shortly after that. He still had it in his apartment, it was a fine instrument, but he never played it anymore, who would he play for anyway?

And then of course there was Callie, but he didn't want to think of Callie right now. It still hurt after all these years, but he doubted Marcus even thought of her. Would things have been different if Marcus had known just how much Callie had meant to him? He'd like to think so, but he really didn't know.

The crazy thing, the _really_ crazy thing was that he didn't truly dislike his brother. Yes, Marcus could be feckless at times, he didn't take the responsibility of running a company as seriously as he should. He could be thoughtless, often. But he wasn't actually a bad person. To an outsider perhaps it seemed the brothers couldn't stand each other, but Gabriel would have given anything to be able to get on with Marcus. But he just didn't have his brother's easy charm and his ability to get on with everyone and so he hid his hurt behind a façade of not caring.

"She's a good-looking woman," said Marcus. "I thought I might invite her to dinner. Or do you think that's unprofessional? You do, don't you? I can see it written all over your face." He gave that one-sided smirk that women always fell for, but that Gabriel always found so irritating. He'd practised it in the mirror once, after all they had exactly the same mouth, but on him it just looked as if he was being snide.

"I'm sure you'll do whatever you want, regardless of what I think," said Gabriel. He got to his feet. "Well, some of us have work to do. Let me know what time Raven's flight is due in. I'll pick her up from the airport."

 

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Later that evening Abby found herself in a crowded Verizon store trying to get a replacement phone for the one she lost. The young salesman informed her that her insurance would cover her lost phone but she didn’t have time to wait to have one sent to her. She was going to have to just suck up the cost and buy a new one or go and retrieve her other. Which was out of the question.

“And all the things I don’t want to lose will transfer? Contacts, notes, photos?” she asked, her eyes widening slightly thinking of him setting up her phone. Would he see her photos? Her video from...? Oh God, she hoped not. She desperately needed to delete that ASAP. If Gabriel happened to find her phone and guessed her code... The young man’s voice broke through her thoughts. “Yes, everything. All you’ll need to do is sign into your iTunes account.”

Wait, sign in to her account? She stared at the box that held her new phone. “They won’t just transfer over?”

“No. You’re going to need to know your log in and your password. It’s usually your most used email. Unless you created an iCloud email when you set it up.”

First, there was an iTunes, and now an iCloud? Shit. She’d know these things if she had set up her phone, but she didn’t. Her assistant did. He had been the one to sign her into her emails and all the apps he insisted she needed to have. Sure, she knew _some_ of them. She knew her work email and password. Her brow furrowed. At least, she thought she did. But her personal email and all her other accounts... This was a nightmare. She felt a headache coming on that had nothing to do with her hangover.

Avoiding going back to _his_ place was turning out to be more trouble than it was worth. She knew where her phone was; she could picture it lying in that goddamn chaise chair she thought so comfortable at the time. When she’d been lying back on it biting her lip trying desperately not to all but cry out as Gabriel made her thighs tremble with his little butterfly licks then came apart when he took her between his lips and sucked at her.

She didn’t want to go there. Not if she could help it.

“Do you… not remember any of your passwords?”

“I,” she started staring up at the young twenty-something who looked at her like not knowing her phone inside and out was some kind of travesty. The little shit was judging her. Grabbing her purse, she gave him a tight smile and slid off of the plastic barstool. “You know what, I just remembered where my phone is. Thank you for all your help.”

She walked off and left before he could utter another word.

One fifteen minute cab ride later she was making her way back up to Gabriel’s apartment in the same elevator she thought she saw the last of. Images of the night before came to her, taunted her though she looked resolutely ahead. It had only been eighteen hours ago Gabriel had backed her against the lift. His lips had been hot and demanding on hers, and she had lifted her leg around his waist so that he’d have room to ground his length where she was wet and slippery, craving some much needed friction. She’d almost come right then and there from the feel of him sliding deliciously against her clit. But unbeknownst to them, the elevator had come to a stop and the doors had slid open. A gasp from a woman about to step inside had broken them reluctantly apart.

At the time she’d been mortified by the paled look of shock directed at them, now it only made her shake her head ruefully. She’d been on the cusp of one hell of an orgasm. Pity.

The elevator dinged, and she stepped out onto his floor. Her stomach swooped, not because she wanted something to happen, she didn’t but because leaving her phone behind made it seem like she did. Showing up at his doorstep was a win for him even if it had been an innocent mistake, and she hated that more than anything.

Lifting her hand, Abby took a steadying breath, lifted her chin, and knocked.

* * *

 

Grabbing his keys, Gabriel started toward his front door only to pause at the kitchen counter where he had set her phone. His housekeeper had discovered it between the cushions of his chaise and left it on the kitchen island with a note that was rather cheeky even for an austere Ana that read, _At least this time it wasn’t underwear._

He stared down at the blank, black screen. He’d taken a peek. His thumb slipping and pressing the home button. Finding it password protected, he laid it back down. He had his limits when it came to snooping. Even if he told himself it was merely to find out where she was staying so he could return it to her.

_She’d be back,_ he had thought a few hours earlier then went to take a shower before he had to go get Raven.  

Just as he set the phone back on the counter, he raised an eyebrow hearing the soft thudding on his door. Knowing very well who it was, he smiled at her timing and took the device and placed it in the pocket of his black jacket.

“Well, this is a surprise,” he said by way of greeting. The side of his mouth lifted as his eyes dropped. Her once demurely buttoned blouse had a few extra buttons undone giving him a nice view of her cleavage.

When he finally lifted his gaze, he found she was glowering at him solidifying he’d indeed made the right choice not pursuing anything more with her. She must have been thinking along the same lines of his because she followed her look with a, “I’m not here for what you’re thinking.”

“What a shame,” he replied not bothering to keep the sarcasm from his tone.

“I left my phone-” she paused as he held the device between them. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Dropping it must have slipped from your mind,” he said, remembering it ringing and how she said she needed to take it. She had, but he hadn’t let up and almost chuckled at how breathy she had sounded and how quickly the call had ended. “You were a little distracted.”

Her chin lifted and damn himself for wanting her even more by her small acts of defiance. He felt himself grow hard and his slacks becoming uncomfortably tight as she stared him down. She certainly was something.

Her warm eyes fell from his, he almost smiled at the way her tongue peeked out to wet her lips as her gaze settled over his bulge.

“I’m sorry I thought you didn’t remember? I really should be going. Thank you again.”

He watched her go, and though he knew he shouldn’t say anything the words left him before he could stop himself. “He’s going to call you, you know.”

The words brought her steps to a halt. She turned to him, one delicate eyebrow raised. “He?”

“My brother.”

“I should hope so. I’ll need to talk to you both some more before this is all over.”

He took a step towards her, and then another. “I don’t mean in a professional capacity.”

Her head tilted to the side as she considered him through narrowed eyes. “And how would you know that?”

“Because I know my brother. I know what he likes.”

“Are you saying I’m his type?”

The side of his mouth lifted almost of its own accord. Beautiful, independent, a devil-may-care attitude with a tendency to say, fuck the rules. He was surprised he hadn’t seen his brother’s missed call come up on her phone before now. It would be soon, though. His brother was probably at home drinking the latest vegan craze while listening to indie jazz and writing a list of pros and cons before he actually picked up the phone and asked her out, which inevitably he would. If there was one thing his brother was good at doing it was getting exactly what Gabriel wanted. “You are the epitome of his type.”

She let out a huff of a laugh and shook her head. Her glasses slipped down her nose and she pushed them up. He didn’t know why but the glasses turned him on. They, along with her presence in the boardroom were what brought him up short. She was sexy as hell and the crazy thing was he didn’t think she realized how much. “But not yours.”

He stared at her. “I never said that.”

There was a moment, a weighted one where he thought she might bring down some of those defenses she had put up against him. Not that he blamed her for them. He’d been a dick to her that morning and if his pride hadn’t meant so much to him he might have told her so.

“No, but it was more than implied.” She smiled. “Have a good evening, Mr. Kane.”

“You as well, Dr. Griffin.” Only when the doors to the elevator closed did he allow himself to sigh.

* * *

 

Marcus opened the door to his refrigerator and glanced inside. It was the second time in the last half hour he’d gone looking for something. Having only had a light lunch, he’d felt hungry for something more than the leftover quinoa bowl he had the night before. Not in the mood to go shopping, he thought of going out.

But thoughts of going out led him to thoughts of Dr. Griffin and the time he enjoyed having her company that afternoon. He could ask her out. She’d been there strictly on business, but it wasn’t like there was anything for her to uncover. He was certain whatever findings she would come back with would all turn out to be a mistake. There was no harm in asking her to dinner.

The simple fact was he couldn’t get her out of his head. From her long, golden honey hair to her warm brown eyes, to her supple breasts and shapely legs well defined by her flattering blouse and form-fitting pencil skirt.

What’s more, he’d come to find, during their brief exchange that along with her beauty, she was charming and funny. She smiled in a way that made his chest tighten and had a laugh that made him want to hear it again and again.

Fuck it, he thought and closed the door. Making his way across the kitchen and into his living room, he came to a stop beside the couch where his phone lay next to his guitar. His company had all departed by the time he returned home. The place, immaculate. He really did have the best of friends. They were mostly free-spirited bums, but they were grateful, tidy bums, nonetheless.  

Scrolling through his contacts he tapped on her name, her number already programmed in his phone since that afternoon when he had Harper track it down for him. The words cool and confident skittered through his mind while he waited for the call to connect. He only had to wait two rings before her voice was there. “Hello?”

“Hello, Abby?”

“This is she.”

“This is, uh, Marcus.” Was he stuttering now? His eyes rolled up to the ceiling. He was usually smoother than this.

“Yes?”

Her tone sounded curious and gave him the boost in confidence he needed. “I wanted to apologize for leaving so quickly earlier. I was wondering if you’d like to get some dinner?”

“Mr. Kane-“

“Marcus, please.”

“Marcus, I’m not sure that would be entirely appropriate given the fact that I am investigating your company.“

While he couldn’t argue with that, the softness in her voice made it sound like she was merely stating a fact rather than turning him down. “I can assure you you won't find anything untoward in my company. As for appropriate, I think we’re both professional enough to keep business and pleasure separate.”

“Business and pleasure, huh?”

She sounded amused, and he knew then he had her. “Is that a yes?”

“Fine, but I’m going to need some time to get back to my room and shower first. Where do you want to meet?”

“I’ll pick you up. Where are you staying?”

“I’m at the Fairmont.”

“The Fairmont,” he repeated, lips pulling up as he stood to make his way back to his bedroom.

“What? I like the view,” she defended.

He chuckled. “No, it’s nothing.” The hotel was a short cable car away from the Financial District up atop Nob Hill. It was known for its panoramic views and romantic atmosphere. A place he frequented whenever Raven came into town with its many art galleries and museums, boutiques and cultural institutions. Even as luxurious as the Fairmont was, the fact that she hadn’t booked a room at the most expensive, uptight establishment in the heart of downtown said a lot about her. “I almost pinged you as a Four Seasons kind of woman.”

“You would have been wrong.” He opened his mouth to respond, but she was speaking again. “I’m just getting back to my room. I’ll need at least an hour. Why don’t we say, eight o’clock?”

He looked down at his watch it was just after six thirty. Plenty of time to shower and get over to her. “It’s a date. See you soon.”

“And this time, Marcus,” she paused, and he tried not to notice the way his heart flipped at the way she said his name, “try not to be late.”

Though she was not in the room, he felt heat rise in his neck and cheeks and chuckled at the memory of walking into the meeting that morning. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”


	4. The Soirée

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marcus plans a date with Abby. Gabriel broods.

Marcus stood in front of the mirror in his bedroom, running a brush through his hair. He peered closely at himself. There were a couple of stray beard hairs, so he retrieved the trimmer from his bathroom and neatened them up. He smoothed his jacket, checked himself from every angle in the mirror. It had taken him a long time to decide which restaurant to take Abby to, and therefore what to wear. He didn’t know anything about her.

When he’d met her at his office, her suit was tailored and neat, Armani according to Harper, and she’d been organised and efficient, but her hair had been swept up haphazardly with strands escaping everywhere, and her glasses were too big because they kept slipping down her nose. He couldn’t decide if she was elegant and having a bad hair day, or casual but business-like when necessary. He’d opted for a table at Prairie, a new Italian in the Mission District where the atmosphere was smart-casual, so he could cover all bases. He was smart-casual himself in his dark jeans, white open-necked shirt and black jacket.

Marcus checked his watch. It was seven-thirty and he had to get across town to pick her up at the Fairmont. She’d told him not to be late and now he was right on the cusp. He went into the living room, looked around for his car keys but they weren’t in the dish by the door where he usually put them. They weren’t in the kitchen either. Damnit, if he didn’t find them soon he was going to be late.

“Harper, where are my car keys?” Marcus shouted to his assistant who was in the study tidying up some papers he’d signed.

“How should I know?” came the vexed reply.

“You drove us here!” Marcus opened drawers, turned over cushions on the sofa to no avail.

“I gave them to you when I parked up.” Harper came through to the living room and stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips.

“You did not!”

“I did! We were walking up the driveway and I handed them to you.”

Marcus thought back to that moment. “Oh, right,” he said as he pictured Harper handing him the keys and him putting them in his pocket. He went back to the bedroom and felt in the pocket of his shorts. There were the keys.

“Well?” said Harper when he returned to the living room.

“Sorry.” Marcus gave her a kiss on the top of her head. “You were right.”

“I’m always right.”

“I know. I should just accept that and never argue with you.”

“And yet you do.” Harper smiled at him and Marcus smiled back.

“I have to have some entertainment during my day.” He gathered his wallet and phone then headed for the door. “You okay getting home? You can take the Hybrid.”

“I’ll be fine. Have fun on your date.” She smirked at him and Marcus winked at her.

“I’ll try.”

He stepped out into the bright evening sun and breathed in the scent of the honeysuckle and acacia. This was going to be a great evening with an interesting woman, whether it led to anything else or not.

His phone rang as he sped down the driveway towards the main road and he answered it without looking at who it was.

“Marcus, darling. So glad I caught you.” His mother’s faux-English voice with its elongated vowels filled the air as he drove. She hadn’t spoken like this when his father was alive; it was a recent affectation that came with the liposuction and plastic surgery, not to mention the younger lovers.

“What can I do for you mother?” Marcus said as he turned onto Geary Boulevard.

“I’m having a soirée, darling. I’m ringing to invite you.”

“When is it?”

“Tonight.”

“Tonight?”

“Yes.”

“I can’t tonight. I’m already on my way out.”

“Darling you have to. That client you’ve been trying to land, Thelonious Jaha, is coming, so it will be an opportunity for you.”

Marcus pulled into a parking space so he could concentrate on his mother.

“Dr Jaha is coming?”

“Yes.”

“Why have you waited until now to tell me?” Marcus said in an exasperated voice.

“Don’t take that tone with me, Marcus. He just accepted.”

“Well, I have other plans. Get Gabriel to do it.”

“I can’t get hold of Gabriel, he’s not answering his phone.”

“He’s gone to pick up Raven from the airport. He won’t have anything better to do after that.”

“I need you both here, darling. I heard about this investigation. The Kane brothers need to present a united front.”

Fat chance of that, thought Marcus. He sighed loudly so his mother was in no doubt that her request was a big inconvenience. “I’ll have to bring my date with me.”

“Ooh, a date, Marcus! How fabulous,” she said, oblivious to Marcus’s annoyance, or ignoring it more likely. “Who is she?”

“No one you know,” he said. “I have to go or I’ll be late and I don’t want to annoy her any more than I’m about to.”

Marcus clicked off the phone and headed back to the main boulevard. He wasn’t sure if Abby would agree to come to his mother’s party. She’d been reluctant to come on a date with him in the first place and now she’d be confronted with the entire family, Gabriel and Raven too. This wasn’t the casual, getting to know each other evening he’d been planning.

\---

Abby sat in the lobby of her hotel nursing a small glass of wine while she waited for Marcus to arrive. It hadn’t taken her long to decide what to wear because she only had a few options. Her suits were out of the question, too business-like. Her red dress reminded her too much of her night with Gabriel, and it was definitely a dress designed to attract notice, and that wasn’t what she wanted to do tonight. She was already regretting accepting the invitation and had decided to look on the evening as background research. She was wearing the only other decent dress she’d brought with her, which was a black wrap mini-dress. It was suitable for any occasion, and she always took it with her on business trips.

She wasn’t sure what to expect from an evening with Marcus, but he’d been easy company so far, so she was hopeful for something relaxing and informative. She took a sip of her wine and looked up as the doors to the hotel lobby swung open. Marcus walked through, handsome all in black with a white shirt casually open at the neck. He liked to show off his chest it seemed. A few heads turned to look at him, and he nodded at various people, looking around until his eyes alighted on Abby. He smiled, raised a tentative hand in greeting.

Abby stood and Marcus headed towards her, reached his hand out to take hers and pulled her towards him so he could plant a warm kiss on her cheek.

“You look wonderful,” he said.

“Thank you. Do you want a drink before we go, or...?” Abby gestured towards the bar.

“Ah.” He ran a hand through his hair then stroked his beard a few times. “Well, about that.”

Abby frowned. Was he about to cancel on her? Surely not. He was dressed for dinner.

“What’s the matter?”

Marcus sighed. “I’m sorry to do this to you, and you can say no if you want, I absolutely understand.”

He looked so nervous and sheepish that Abby wanted to laugh. She smiled instead to put him at ease. “Just tell me.”

“My mother called as I was heading out. She’s throwing a party tonight and she wants me to go. To be honest, I’ve been summoned. There’s a potential client attending and she wants me to woo him. It will be good for business if I can land him.”

“I understand. Family comes first. You must go, of course.”

“Well, you see, I was looking forward to spending some time with you tonight, and we’re both dressed and ready to go, so I was hoping you might come with me?”

He looked at her with a hopeful expression and Abby quickly tried to come up with an excuse to get out of it but what could she say? She was dressed and ready to go, and technically it could be viewed as an opportunity for her too, to see how the people involved in Kane Antiquities operated, especially when their guard was down.

“Erm...”

“Think of it as an opportunity to see the business in action,” Marcus said, echoing Abby’s own thoughts, and once he’d said that, there really was no choice.

“Very well. Who else will be there?”

“Mother and her latest boytoy no doubt, and just business people. Dr Alexander probably, you met him at the Board meeting.”

“Okay. You’re right, it would be a good opportunity to meet people in a less formal setting.”

“Good.” Marcus smiled, and he held out his arm for Abby to take and escorted her to his car.

\---

The Kane family house was at the top of a hilly road in Pacific Heights. Abby stared at it as they turned off the road and waited for a large white garage door to open. The house was huge, so long it was five stories on one end and three stories on the other due to the rise in height of the road. Every room was lit up, and Abby had never seen such ostentation, and she’d worked with some very high-end clients. She was silent as they rolled quietly into the underground parking, which was already filled with cars that cost more than Abby could make in a year, including a sleek black one with a curved inset door that looked like it would use the output of an entire power station just to get down the road. It was the complete opposite to Marcus’s energy-efficient eco car. She thought about Gabriel’s penthouse. The family had made some serious money in antiques.

“Do you live near here?” she said to Marcus as he came around to her door and opened it for her.

“No. I live on the west side, in Richmond. I have a beach house.”

Abby doubted his definition of a beach house was some shack on a sand dune.

“Sounds lovely,” she said.

“Yes. It’s quiet, and that’s how I like it.” He smiled as he shut the car door behind her. “Do you want to take the stairs or elevator?”

There was an elevator? “The stairs,” said Abby, who wasn’t a fan of elevators.

“There’s four flights. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Marcus grinned and took off up the stairs with Abby following.

“I could do with the exercise,” she said as her breath tightened in her chest.

“I doubt that.”

Marcus led the way up four flights of marble steps and as they reached the top floor Abby stumbled and started to fall. Marcus reached out and grabbed her hand, steadying her.

“Thank you,” said Abby.

“No problem.”

He still had her hand as they entered a large room with panoramic windows and a glass roof that was retracted to let in the evening air. The room was thronged with people holding glasses of champagne and cocktails. A waiter approached Abby and Marcus with a tray of drinks and she dropped his hand to take a glass of champagne.

“Can you get me a mint-lime iced tea?” said Marcus and the waiter nodded.

Abby was surprised at his request. “Don’t you drink?” she said as she sipped her champagne, the bubbles going straight to her head like they always did.

“Not often. I had a wild youth and when I hit my thirties I got fed up with the hangovers and waking up not knowing what I’d done the night before.”

I hear that, thought Abby, as she considered her own wild night with Gabriel. She was still cursing her luck that her one attempt at being carefree had turned out to be with him. Oh, well. It had been worth it at the time.

A small auburn-haired woman with ample assets squeezed into a tight cocktail dress came towards them, her arms held out. “Darling! You came!” She stopped short so Marcus had to walk towards her embrace. He kissed her on both cheeks and the woman put her arms loosely around him while staring over his shoulder at Abby.

“You summoned me, mother,” Marcus said when she released him.

“Yes, yes, but I never know if you will obey your poor dear mama. Who is this?” She swept past Marcus towards Abby who was enveloped in a powdery, perfumed hug.

“This is, erm, Abby,” said Marcus. “Abby this is my mother, Vera Kane.”

“Véra,” said his mother, accenting the e so that her name sounded like Vehraa.

Abby caught Marcus’s roll of his eyes and smiled. “Nice to meet you,” she said, turning the full warmth of the smile on Vera.

“Aren’t you divine?” said Vera as she looked Abby up and down. “So tiny.” She turned to Marcus. “She’s precious, Marcus.”

Abby bristled but tried not to show it. She felt like a toy doll and not for the first time in her life. She knew she was petite, all long legs and short upper body, and didn’t need anyone else to point that out to her. Why did people always feel the need to do it? Vera could only be a couple of inches taller herself. Marcus and Gabriel must have got their height from their father.

“It’s Doctor Griffin, actually,” said Abby. “I’m investigating your son’s company.”

If she thought that barb would land on Vera she was wrong. Nothing it seemed would penetrate that surgically-enhanced skin.

“And yet you’re here on a date with my Marcus. What kind of investigations into him are you doing, I wonder?” Vera winked at Abby, and then she saw someone else across the room and flounced off to greet them.

“Sorry about my mother,” said Marcus. “She hasn’t been the same since father died.”

She was probably an entirely new woman inside and out, thought Abby, but she didn’t say that to Marcus.

“It’s okay. Don’t worry.” Abby took a large swig of her champagne. If the evening continued in this manner she’d have to drink quite a few glasses to get through it.

\---

Gabriel stood on the balcony, looking down at the crowd beneath, and watched in disbelief as his brother walked in hand-in-hand with Abby Griffin. What the hell had happened in the few hours since she’d been at his apartment asking for her phone and looking at him coyly with those deep brown eyes? He’d known Marcus would call her, but he hadn’t expected it to be so soon, and for him to bring her to mother’s party as his date, holding hands!

“What’s up with you, misery guts?” A small dark-haired figure sidled up to him and he turned to stare into the laughing brown eyes of his young sister, Raven.

“Nothing.”

“You’re even more brooding than usual.”

“Maybe it’s because I’ve been dragged out to the airport to pick up my wayward sister, and then summoned to a last-minute party with people I can’t stand.”

“Hmmm. Had other plans did you? Some poor woman’s crying into her martini because you’ve abandoned her?”

Gabriel pulled a face at Raven. He resumed his surveillance of the room, watching as his mother greeted Marcus and enveloped Abby in a hug. Raven joined him, her hands resting on the glass rail.

“Who’s that with Marcus?” she said.

“The woman who’s investigating the company.”

“Ah. She’s gorgeous.”

Gabriel shrugged. Raven turned to look at him. “Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed that.” She stared into his eyes. “You have! You’re jealous.”

“Nonsense,” replied Gabriel, and he turned away from the railing, pulled his cigarette case from his jacket pocket and selected a Gitane, tapping the end on the case before putting it between his lips and lighting it. He let out a long exhale of smoke and felt himself relax for the first time all day.

“Mother will kill you for smoking here.”

“I only smoke one a day, and we’re in the open air,” he said, gesturing to the roof terrace they were standing on. “Besides, I’m thirty-five years old. Mother has no control over me.”

Raven laughed. “Keep thinking that. Thirty-five, oh yes! I forgot it was your birthday yesterday.” She reached up and kissed Gabriel’s cheek. “Happy Birthday.”

“Thanks,” he replied without feeling.

“So this woman. What’s her name?”

“The one crying into her martini?” Gabriel knew to whom Raven was referring, but he strung out the conversation a while longer, hoping the nicotine would hit quickly and he’d be able to talk about Abby without betraying himself.

“No! The one with Marcus. The one who’s investigating you.”

Gabriel took a deep drag of his cigarette. “She’s Dr Griffin, Abby. Alexander called her in to look into some problem. I don’t know what it is. She’ll be interviewing us all soon.”

“She looks pretty cosy with Marcus.”

“Hmmm.” Gabriel turned back and looked down at his brother and Abby. They were standing close together, talking. He blew smoke in their direction, then stubbed his cigarette out in a planter. “I need a drink,” he said.

He left Raven and headed to the bar. He ordered a French 75 just to torture himself, because he’d drank it with Abby, and then watched her move around the room with Marcus.

A sickly floral smell assaulted his nostrils and he closed his eyes because there was only one thing that could mean.

“Darling,” his mother’s voice whispered in his ear. “You won’t get anywhere by staring.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” replied Gabriel, and he took a sip of his cocktail so he didn’t have to look at her.

“She’s very attractive, isn’t she?”

God, what was it with the women in his life? “Who?”

“Marcus’s date.”

“I suppose, if you like that kind of thing.”

“What kind of thing, darling? You mean petite? She’s adorable.”

She’s not that adorable, thought Gabriel, remembering some of the naughtier things she’d done to him that night.

“I’m going to introduce you.”

“No! Mother!” But it was too late, because Vera was striding across the room, and he saw her talking to Marcus who frowned and looked at Gabriel. There was no way he’d let Abby go, but no, here she was, grasped in his mother’s cold death grip, being dragged across the floor towards him. Marcus stood with his arms crossed, grimacing.

Vera approached Gabriel with a knowing look on her face. “Have you met my other son, Gabriel?” she said to Abby.

Abby looked up at him with those warm eyes and Gabriel felt a frisson of excitement run through him. Memory traces, from the other night.

“I wouldn’t say we’d met each other,” said Abby with a slight smile. “Not formally. I’m Abby.”

“Gabriel Kane,” he replied, trying to keep his voice low and even.

Abby held her hand out to Gabriel who had no choice but to take it. He held her hand stiffly, then dropped it.

“It’s nice to meet you properly.”

Was it? She had some chutzpah he had to give her that. She’d showed it the other night when she’d effectively picked him up in the bar and played with him until he was twisted into knots and there was only one way to unravel.

“Abby was on a date with Marcus until I dragged them both here,” said Vera. “Sorry to spoil your fun, dear.” She smiled one of her fake smiles and Gabriel knew she was having fun with this. He had to end it before it got too far.

Abby coloured slightly at Vera’s words. “Well, we were going out to dinner, that’s all. It wasn’t really a date.”

“Gabriel’s the clever one in the family,” said Vera, ignoring Abby’s response. “Too clever, really. I think that sometimes puts women off.”

“Abby doesn’t want to hear this, mother” said Gabriel, frustrated with her interference.

“That wouldn’t bother you, Abby, dear, would it? You’re clever yourself I bet. Must be to come in and fix other peoples’ problems.”

Abby’s smile was a bit too broad for Gabriel’s liking. She was enjoying this. “I like to think smart is sexy, Véra, yes.”

“I thought you would. Oh, I see a friend I need to speak to. I’ll leave you two alone.”

She disappeared into the crowd before Gabriel could argue. What the hell was she playing at? He looked down at Abby and she lifted her head to look at him. The scent of her perfume wafted up to him, and he breathed it in.

He thought she was going to say something but she surprised him by reaching out to take his drink from him. She sniffed it then took a sip. “A French 75,” she said, and then she handed the drink back.

Gabriel saw Marcus looking at them, so he took a sip himself, and then leaned in close to her. “You remember that.”

“Of course. I’m surprised you do.”

“Why’s that?”

“You claimed to remember little else.”

“That was a mistake.”

“Yes, it was.”

Electricity shot through Gabriel’s body at her words, her tone. “What are you doing here with him?” he ventured, emboldened by her allusion to their night together.

“You were right,” she said with a raise of her eyebrow. “He called.”

“And you had to answer?”

She frowned at him. “What’s that to you?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing. It’s just. It’s not very professional that’s all. I expect you to be impartial when looking into our affairs. How can I trust you to investigate my brother properly if you’re dating him?” This wasn’t what Gabriel wanted to say at all, but it was what came out, and there was no taking it back.

“I’m not dating him!” Abby put her hands on her hips and turned a nerve-shattering glare on Gabriel. “And I resent your suggestion that I’m biased in any way. I am NOT! I merely accepted a dinner invitation. I don’t know anybody else here.”

She looked at him accusingly and Gabriel felt the sting. She did know someone else, and a lot more intimately than she knew Marcus, but he’d betrayed her with his rudeness and his nonchalance. He could see the folly of that clearly, the what might have been.

Before he could answer her Marcus was upon them. He took up a position slightly in front of Abby, as though he was protecting her from Gabriel, or claiming her. The latter, probably.

“Everything alright here?”

“Yes, why wouldn’t it be?” snapped Gabriel.

“I thought I heard raised voices.”

“Your brother is very passionate about the company,” said Abby, stepping to the side to create some distance between her and Marcus. “I may have got off on the wrong foot with him.”

“There’s no right foot with Gabriel,” said Marcus, and Gabriel bristled.

“It’s entirely my fault,” continued Abby. “I’m sure we can start over.”

“I really don’t care either way,” replied Gabriel. “You are here in a professional capacity, and the sooner you get to work, the sooner we can all go back to our lives.” His tone was brusque, and he knew he was being rude but as usual he found it hard to stop himself. It was Marcus he was annoyed with, not Abby, but she had borne the brunt of his anger, and she was pissed, he could see it in the set of her jaw, the steely glint in her eye.

“I want nothing more,” she said coldly, and she turned to Marcus with a warmer smile. “Shall we go and find that important client? I’d like to meet him.”

Gabriel didn’t stay to watch them go. He headed up to the roof terrace and flopped angrily into one of the chairs. He lit up another cigarette and stared out into the black night and the colourful lights of his home town.

Raven slid into the chair next to him. “You’re an idiot,” she said.

“Leave me alone.”

“Not all women are like Diana, you know. You don’t have to treat them as though they are.”

“I don’t need advice from someone who can’t keep a man for longer than five minutes.”

“That’s not for want of trying. You don’t even try. You decide they’re going to hurt you so you hurt them first, or you don’t even get that far. You just fuck ‘em and leave ‘em.”

Gabriel sighed. Mother was wrong. He wasn’t the cleverest one in the family. “Fuck off, squirt,” he said affectionately.

Raven stood and gave him a kiss on the top of his head.

“I love you, dumbass.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“Some people are worth the risk.” Raven looked pointedly at him and then turned on her heels and returned to the party.

Gabriel took a long drag on his cigarette. No one was worth it. That was the problem. He got up, strode to the elevator and rode it down to the parking garage. His driver brought the black Bugatti to the garage door and gestured for Gabriel to get in the passenger side.

Gabriel shook his head. He’d only had one drink and he felt the need to let off some steam. “I’ll drive,” he said, and he gave the man a few bills. “Enjoy the party, get a cab home.”

He eased into the driver’s seat and drove onto the main road, tyres squealing, engine roaring as he sped into the night.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we learn a little more about our guys and Abby can't help but make comparisons...

"I'm sorry about my brother," Marcus said. He took a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and handed it to Abby. "He can be an ass at times."

That was the understatement of the year, but Abby merely smiled and took a sip of her drink. It was delicious, crisp but subtle with a hint of citrus. She wasn't a connoisseur of champagne, she was more of a scotch type of girl if truth be told, but she could tell this was definitely some seriously expensive fizz. And potent too. She needed to slow down, or she was going to end up straddling her second Kane in two days. And that would _not_ be a good idea.

"Something amusing you?" Marcus enquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Not at all," she said smoothly. "Where's this very important guest then?"

"Over there talking to my mother." Marcus nodded to where Vera stood talking to a tall man in the most extraordinary crimson velvet smoking jacket. "He's a little eccentric I believe, but he's one of the richest men on the West coast and he's a huge collector of art and antiquities."

"Seems strange that he's not already a client then," Abby observed.

Marcus grinned showing his perfect white teeth, another difference between the brothers, she realised belatedly. Not that Gabriel didn't have great teeth too, well as far as she could tell since he didn't seem to go in much for smiling, but they weren't quite as even and white as his brother's. Marcus' teeth were veneers, probably. Hmm, so he could be vain. She wasn't sure how she felt about that. Vanity wasn't her favourite trait in men. But then again, maybe he'd had a good reason to get his teeth fixed. She grimaced inwardly. She really had to put the past behind her and stop judging every man she met by _his_ standards.

"Dr Jaha has _projects_ ," said Marcus. "Things he likes to spend his money on. Antiquities is just his latest craze. This time last year it was vintage aircraft." He put an arm not quite around her but so that his fingers were lightly brushing her back and it seemed as if they held a static charge that sent a delicious shiver along her spine. "Shall we go and introduce ourselves?"

  

"There you are, Dahling," purred Vera. "I see you've claimed dear Abby back from your brother. Let me introduce Dr Thelonious Jaha to you, Marcus."

The tall man inclined his head and held out a hand to Marcus at an angle that looked as if he was expecting Marcus to kiss it rather than shake it.

"I was just complimenting your mother on her _charming_ little home," he said in a drawl that was every bit as affected as Vera's attempt at an English accent. He turned back to Vera. "You must let me have the number of your decorator, they've done a _marvellous_ job."

"And this is Dr Abigail Griffin," Marcus put in.

"Ah yes, the investigation," said Jaha, wrinkling his nose as if he could smell something bad. He offered his hand belatedly to Abby. "And how are your enquiries coming along, my dear?"

"I haven't really…" Abby began. She was interrupted by an arm thrown over her shoulder.

"Aren't you going to introduce me to your lady, Marcus?"

Abby turned to see a beautiful young woman with sparkling dark eyes and a mischievous grin.

"Abby, allow me to introduce my little sister, Raven," said Marcus, pulling away from her to sweep his sister up in a hug. "How are you, my little jailbird?"

"Marcus!" Vera glared at him.

"Raven was arrested for demonstrating against models wearing fur," said Marcus to Jaha and Abby glanced at him in surprise. So, his pride in his sister outweighed his desire to impress a potential client. Now _that_ was something she liked. She couldn't imagine Gabriel would have the same priorities. She mentally scolded herself for her constant comparisons. Honestly, at this rate it wouldn't be long before she was compiling an actual list of their respective qualities and faults.

"Perhaps you'd like to show Abby around the house, Raven," Vera said.

"Sure, in a minute," Raven said. "By the way what's with all the bonsai trees? They're new since I was here last."

"Oh, that's Yoshi," said Vera with a shrug and a smile. "He's my…gardener." She seemed to hesitate deliberately, and the implication was clear.

Raven rolled her eyes at Abby then turned to Dr Jaha. "And you are…"

"Dr Thelonious Jaha, pleased to make your acquaintance." He bowed his head but didn't offer his hand.

 Raven wrinkled her nose. "Thelonious? So, what do people call you?"

"People call me Thelonious," Jaha said with a chill in his voice.

"You know, I'd love to see those bonsai trees if you wouldn't mind showing me, Raven," said Abigail. She'd seen enough of Jaha for one evening and it was no hardship to leave Marcus to talk business.

"Well if you don't mind me stealing your date, Marcus," said Raven. She tucked her arm into Abby's and led her away.

"Who is that awful Haha man?" she said when they were out of earshot.

"A potential client," laughed Abby. "And by the way, I'm not your brother's date. I'm here on business."

 "Yes. Gabriel told me," Raven said with an arch of one perfect eyebrow. "He couldn't take his eyes off you earlier, you know."

Abby turned to put her empty glass on a passing waiter's tray and helped herself to another so that Raven wouldn't see the blush she felt come into her cheeks.

"Your brothers are very different from each other," she said. "I thought identical twins were supposed to be practically inseparable."

Raven laughed. "Well Marcus and Gabe aren't your typical twins. They've never been terribly close. But you know, people get Gabe wrong all the time. They think just because he's serious that he's cold."

"And he isn't?" said Abby. She took a sip of her drink, aware that Raven was watching her expression closely.

"Not at all," said Raven. "Marcus has the same degree of warmth all the time, he's always friendly, always charming. Not that's it at all put on," she added. "That really is the way he is and I think that's why Dad named him CEO. Gabriel knew the business inside out, but Marcus is better with clients. He knows how to schmooze people. He's very steady whereas Gabe's more a man of extremes. He might seem cool but when you light Gabe's fire…well you'd better watch out."

"Hmm," said Abby thinking of the way he'd fucked her last night. He'd never once smiled and yet it hadn't been cold in the slightest, in fact it may well have been one of the most passionate fucks she'd ever had.

"So, what about you," Raven asked. "Any brothers or sisters?"

Abby hesitated only a second before answering. "No," she said. There was no way she was about to open _that_ particular can of worms.

 

 

Gabriel drove across the bridge with the Bugatti's windows fully open so that the wind from the sea ruffled his hair. He breathed in deep lungfuls of the briny tasting air and with every breath he relaxed a little more.

Everyone thought Marcus was the nature-loving twin with his bare feet, his guitar and his hippy hair and beard. But if anyone had ever asked Gabriel what he did in his spare time, they'd have been surprised to learn that above all else, he liked to drive up to Hawk Hill and watch the birds of prey that gave the place its name. From the peak, he'd see kestrels, ospreys and once he'd been lucky enough to catch sight of a bald eagle. No bird watching to be done at this time of night of course, but that meant it would be quiet, no tourists about. In fact, he might even be really lucky and have the place to himself. 

He was disappointed on driving into the car park to see that another car was already parked up and a man and a woman were sitting on a bench. He got out of the car and strolled on over to the railing as far as he could get from them and he looked out over the bay, at the reflection of the lights from the bridge creating a second bridge of light on the water. 

As he watched, he heard a peal of laughter from the woman and he stiffened. He turned his head so that he could see the bench, his hackles rising and then he let out his breath slowly. She had the same laugh, she even had the same blonde hair, but she wasn't Diana. 

He pulled out a cigarette from his case, his second tonight but who was counting? He needed it to steady himself. Just what was it about Abby Griffin that had him so rattled? If she was just a one-night stand then he should forget about her, file her away with all the others. If she was something more…He cupped his hand around his antique Zippo lighter to guard the flame from the night breeze and inhaled deeply on his Gitaine, scolding himself for the thought. She wasn't and even if he'd wanted her to be, Marcus had stepped in now. 

The woman laughed again, and he cursed under his breath. Of all the women he didn't want to be reminded of right now, Diana was top of the list. He'd rather think about Callie than think about her. At least Callie's betrayal hadn't been premeditated. 

As he had done a thousand times before, he thought back to that fateful night. Callie had told him she loved him and what had he done? Her words had shocked him. He hadn't thought they were that serious and he'd been afraid, he'd thought love meant giving a part of himself away and yet when he realised, when it was far too late, he saw that he had loved her for a long time. 

In his imagination he changed the past, he told her he loved her too and they spent the rest of the night making love in her single bed in her tiny studio apartment on Potrero Hill. Except it hadn't happened like that, had it? No, like the biggest idiot who'd ever lived, he'd made his excuses, gone home and ignored her calls for the next two days while he'd tried to work out if this was what he really wanted. Could he blame her then for falling into the arms of the man who looked like him but who wasn't him? 

He'd never given her a chance to explain why she did it, who made the first move, whether she did it to hurt him, whether Marcus knew of their relationship, and he'd never once spoken of her to Marcus. He'd forgiven her almost immediately, but he would never have been able to forget. If it had been anyone else, anyone in the world, then he might have been able to put it behind him, but he would never be able to rid himself of the image of her in the arms of his brother. And so, he'd never told her how he really felt, he'd been cold to her, told her he didn't care, and she had moved away. If he lived to be a hundred, he would never forget the look on her face when she told him goodbye. 

And then along came Diana. He'd been in a bar, attempting to drink away his sorrows and she'd come over to him and the next thing he knew they were in a hotel room and she was riding him so hard, he was actually sore the next day. She'd made it quite clear to him just what she wanted from him. Someone to go to the theatre with, someone to have dinner with, someone to fuck. What she did _not_ want, she told him, was someone to fall in love with and Gabriel had agreed fervently. And it had been great while it lasted. She was a discerning theatre-goer, a stimulating dinner companion and an amazing fuck. And then she had betrayed him. Not physically, he wouldn't have cared if she'd fucked someone else and he wouldn't have been surprised; the woman had a _voracious_ sexual appetite. But he'd thought they were friends and then she'd stabbed him in the back. The thought of what she'd done and of how she must have planned it all along still gave him a bitter taste in his mouth. The family had told him he should press charges, but he hadn't wanted the publicity, hadn't wanted anyone to see what an idiot he'd been. 

A thought brought him hurtling back to the present and he drew in a sharp breath. Was this the source of his problem with Abby Griffin? She was intelligent, outspoken, self-assured. She'd picked him up in a bar and then fucked his brains out. Did she remind him of Diana on some subliminal level? Or did she remind him more of Callie, petite, cute, sensitive, soft-hearted? 

He dropped his cigarette to the floor and ground it to dust beneath his heel then turned back to his car. It was time to go home and get ridiculously, stupidly, steaming drunk. 

 

"Well, my dear, this little soiree of yours has been absolutely enchanting," said Dr Jaha, bowing low over Vera's hand. 

He turned to Marcus. "And don't forget to call me if you come across any pre-Columbian Peruvian artefacts. I'll pay top price and I won't worry too much about provenance information." He tapped one side of his nose. 

Marcus gave him a tight smile. "I'll certainly look into sourcing some for you and I can assure you, we only sell items when we can verify their history." 

"Ah yes, of course," said Jaha, "and we can only hope this little problem of yours is swiftly dealt with. Reputation is everything in this business, is it not?" 

"Dr Griffin has that in hand I believe," said Marcus, stiffly. 

"Oh, I'm sure she has," said Jaha. He turned back to Vera and bowed his head. "Don't worry about seeing me out, dear lady." 

Marcus waited until he was out of earshot before speaking. "What an odious man," he said quietly. 

"I thought he was rather charming," Vera chided him. "And of course, he's terribly rich." 

Marcus laughed. "Well yes, I suppose that's all that matters, isn't it? Now, you must excuse me while I go and find out what Raven has done with Abby." 

"Oh just a minute, Darling," said Vera, taking his arm in hers. "I want to talk to you about something. I couldn’t help but notice the way you were looking at Abby. Are you sweet on her?" 

"Sweet on her?" Marcus shook his head with a smile. "We're not sixteen, Mother." 

Vera frowned, at least it looked as if she was frowning, it was hard to tell with all the Botox. "Very well, you find her attractive, then?" 

Marcus shrugged. "She's a very beautiful woman." 

A waiter approached them with a tray, but Vera waved him off impatiently. 

"She's both beautiful and charming, Marcus but she's also a career woman. You need to think about that." 

Marcus sighed. He loved his mother dearly but sometimes she drove him batshit crazy. 

"What's wrong with being a career woman?" 

Vera drew him off into a quiet corner where they couldn't be overheard. "You're the CEO of a hugely successful company," she began. "You need a wife who will stand beside you and support you in everything you do. Look at me. I had a promising career in sales when I met your father, but I gave it all up to be his wife and to be mother to our children. The wife of a CEO needs to be a consummate hostess, she needs to be available for him at all times. And Abby has her own career. She'd be far more suited to your brother, don't you think?" 

Marcus bit his lip, unsure whether to be annoyed or amused. "This is a first date," he said. "I wasn't thinking of proposing until at least the second. And can you really see Abby with Gabriel? She'd eat him alive." 

"Exactly," said Vera. "She's just the sort of woman he needs. You on the other hand need someone a little more…a little more like Alie for instance." 

Marcus groaned. "Give it up, Mom. I went out on a date with her to keep you happy but I've no intention of seeing her again. She just wasn't my type." 

He thought back to their evening together. He'd agreed to the date because Alie was the daughter of one of Vera's oldest friends. She'd wanted him to choose her food for her and the wine, and throughout the meal she hadn't offered one single opinion of her own. She'd laughed at all his jokes no matter how bad they were, and Marcus knew some pretty awful jokes, and she'd agreed with everything he'd said. It was with relief that he'd dropped her off afterwards despite her heavy hints about 'coming in for coffee'. 

"She's perfect wife material," Vera protested. 

"Perfect Stepford wife, maybe," he said. "And since when have you been so keen on marrying me off?" 

"Since you turned thirty-five," she said. She picked a piece of lint from the shoulder of his jacket. "I have three beautiful healthy children and not one of you has provided me with a grandchild yet. And you're CEO of the company, Marcus. You have a responsibility to provide an heir to the throne, as it were." 

He threw back his head and laughed. "All in good time, Mother. And now, excuse me, but I really need to go and find my fiancé."

 

 

He was still chuckling as he left the room in search of Abby. Kids were great, but he'd never actually seen them in his future. And really, there were too many people on the planet as it was. Vera had a point though. Right now, if all three Kane children were killed in a plane crash, there was no-one to inherit the business. He couldn't imagine Gabriel ever having children so that left Raven. He smiled at the thought. Yeah, Raven would have dozens of children when she was ready and he could be the indulgent uncle. 

As if on cue, he heard the sound of her laughter coming from the direction of their father's study, quickly joined by a smoky giggle that could only belong to Abby. 

He opened the door to what had always been his favourite room to find the two of them sitting on the rug in front of the fireplace, sharing a bottle of his father's sixty-year old MacCutcheon whisky. 

"She asked him to play the guitar?" Abby was saying, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. "Even though she knew it was Gabriel?" 

"What can I say?" said Raven. "She always did have a sadistic sense of humour." 

She looked up as her brother came into the room. "I was just telling Abby how you and Gabe pretended to be each other that time when Gabe was grounded." 

Marcus sat in his father's wingchair and crossed his legs regarding both women in amusement. "I remember it well," he said. 

Gabe had been grounded for two weeks, he couldn't remember why now. But he'd had a date and so Marcus had agreed to swap clothes so that Gabriel could slip out. Their father hadn't seemed to notice the deception, but their mother was more perceptive when it came to her sons. 

"Gabriel," she'd said sweetly to him. "Play your violin for us, perhaps that new piece you've been practising." 

"I can't believe you actually tried to play the violin," Abby said, her beautiful dark eyes alight with laughter. 

He shrugged. "I'd watched Gabe play. I just thought, how hard can it be? Turned out it was pretty damn hard." 

"So, what happened then?" she asked him.

"Well, Gabe confessed as soon as she asked him to play the guitar," he said. "And we were both grounded for a month." He smiled as he thought back to the days when he and his brother still had some sort of relationship. 

"Anyway, I'll leave you guys to it," said Raven, uncrossing her long legs and getting up from the rug. "Abby, it's been great meeting you and don't forget what I said about getting together next time you're in New York." 

"It's a date," promised Abby. She got to her feet and gave Raven a hug and Marcus noticed she staggered slightly. He remembered suddenly that tonight was to have been a dinner date and he hadn't given her dinner. No wonder the alcohol had gone to her head. 

"I was supposed to be taking you to dinner," he said when the door closed behind Raven. "Would you like to go now?" 

Abby pursed her lips. "Where were you thinking of taking me?" she said. 

Marcus glanced at his watch. Damn it was gone ten o'clock. Prairie would be closed and so would the rest of the smart restaurants. There'd be a few eateries still catering for the late-night crowd but nowhere that appealed to him right now. 

"I could always cook for you," he offered. "I make a mean vegan moussaka." 

She arched an eyebrow. "You're inviting me back to your apartment?" 

Marcus held up his hands in a protestation of innocence. "Just for dinner. I'll drive you straight back to your hotel afterwards." 

Abby seemed to consider for a moment. "Okay then."

 

 

Abby stretched out her arms above her head and groaned in pleasure as Marcus ran his tongue slowly around one nipple, his breath hot against her bare skin. God that felt so good. He nipped her gently with his teeth and she reached a hand down to caress his hair, marvelling at its softness. He slipped his long fingers between her legs and she arched her back in anticipation. Then suddenly Gabriel was there with them. Where had he come from? Oh, what did that matter anyway? He joined them on the enormous bed and suddenly he was lavishing his attention on her other nipple. Marcus found her clit with his thumb and she let out a cry… 

She opened her eyes with a start to find she was alone on a strange sofa and someone had covered her with a blanket. The room was dimly lit with the light from the dawn and a small reading lamp had been left on in one corner. She sat up gingerly and squinted at a note that had been left on the coffee table. 

_Morning, Abby. I'm sorry you never got to taste the moussaka,_ _but you looked so peaceful I didn't like to wake you. If you're awake before me, please feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen. There are fresh towels in the shower. Mi casa es su casa. M._

He'd added a smiley face and Abby smiled back at it. She thought for a moment then decided she'd slip out and get a cab back to her hotel. She didn't really want to be here when he woke up, it would feel too intimate and she had to start her enquiries today which meant being professional. That dream though…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	6. Meditations, revelations, and investigations

She hadn’t stayed. Of course, Marcus had been disappointed, but the logical part of his mind told him it was for the best. At least the best for now.

The investigation needed to be the first priority. He wanted to show her that while he held an interest in her, he respected why she was there and what she had to do. 

Besides, since when had rushing into relationships ever really worked for him? Callie, well, while she was a great friend, to her he was nothing more than someone to be with. A warm body to sleep next to until she moved on to the next. Callie didn’t like to stay in one place very long. Their relationship was probably her longest. Though unfortunately for him, he didn’t learn this until much later and by that time he had gone and fallen in love with her. 

There had been a handful of women since then. Mostly in his twenties when he was a bit wilder, a bit more carefree when it came to his lovers. However now, he felt his age catching up with him. He saw his friends get married and have children. 

Settling down, growing roots, he thought while looking out over the bay and taking a sip of his lemon balm tea, that was what he wanted to do. 

A knock came at his door, and he looked down at his watch. It was early still. He never really had morning visitors outside of FedEx and…

“Darling, are you home?”

His mother.

“In here, mom,” he called, making a mental note to get his key from her at some point. Had Abby stayed he could just imagine his mother’s mirth. She’d be planning a wedding before either of them knew what was happening. Just like she tried to do with Alie. Marcus shuddered. 

Luckily, that hadn’t gone beyond two dates.

“Morning, Marcus, dear.” She went over to him taking him into her arms then pulling away, looked around the room. “Where’s your friend?”

“Probably at her hotel. Tea?” He moved away, over to pour her a cup if anything to escape her gaze.

“What a shame,” she said airily and took a seat at his dining room table. “Do you think you’ll see one another again?”

“I expect we will. She is, after all, investigating the company,” he said setting a cup in front of her.

“Marcus, really this investigation is just silly,” she said then took a sip of her tea then immediately after, made a face before placing it quickly down on the table and pushing it away as though it being too close offended her. “Perhaps you can talk with Abby and reassure her that the family will make sure it does its own investigation.“

“I will speak to her when she conducts her interview with me. And you can speak to her too if and when she wishes to speak with you. We are all going to be one-hundred percent transparent with her. We have nothing to hide.”

“But all this fuss, darling,” she tutted. ‘What if the press gets word?”

Marcus rolled his eyes at his mother’s theatrics. This wouldn't be the first scandal the company's been involved with. “It will be over quickly as long as we allow Dr. Griffin to do her job.”

“I do hope you’re right.”

She sighed dramatically, making Marcus shake his head. “I need to go get ready for work.”

“Alright, I have Yoshi waiting in the car for me anyway.”

“The car? Why didn’t you have him come in?”

“He’s practicing his tantric meditations so that he’ll be ready when we meditate together later this afternoon.”

Marcus had just taken a drink of tea and spat it back in his cup. He closed his eyes, willing every God, every deity there was to spare him from any images. “I could have lived my whole life without knowing that, mom.”

“Oh, don’t be so prudish.” With a slight roll of her eyes, she waved her hand through the air. “You’re just like your brother.”

“I never thought I’d say this, but I’m taking that as a compliment.”

She gave him a reproachful look before kissing his cheek and moving away to see herself out. “I’ll see you later, darling.”

He waited until she was gone and went to get ready for the day. With any luck, he’d see Abby and maybe offer to take her to a quiet lunch as an apology for the previous evening.

 

* * *

 

She took an Uber back to her hotel. There was no way she could stay. Not after that dream. She was on a slippery slope when it came to the Kane twins and she didn’t need the temptation. Not that she would do anything with Marcus, had she stayed.

Her shower was hot and did nothing to rid her of her dream. She had a serious problem. She was supposed to be impartial, and that was hard to do when all she could think about was Marcus beard tickling her in places and Gabriel’s, well… Oh my God, Abby get a damn grip! She wasn’t some oversexed teenager without control of her hormones. She wasn’t… her sister.

She was an adult with a Ph.D. and a modicum of self-control.  She could put aside her attraction to both Gabriel and Marcus, focus on the task at hand and not the soonest opportunity she could get one of them between her legs. 

With that thought, she wrapped a robe around herself and began to towel dry her hair. 

Her phone rang somewhere in the room, and she thought about letting it go to voicemail thinking it was Marcus calling to see where she went. But then it could be family, and she sighed. 

The name on the screen made her eyes widen. A wash of relief flooding her chest. “Jackson, finally! I was getting worried.”

“Sorry things have been intense over here the last few days.”

The sound of her assistant's less than normally cheerful voice had her frowning. “Intense?”

“Abby, have you heard of The City Of Light?”

Her brow furrowed. “The City of what?”

“Light. It’s a small private company in the business of antiquities.”

Abby thought for a moment but she couldn’t ever remember hearing the name. She’d been investigating in this field for a long enough time she should have heard of it by now. “Is it new?”

“No, and that’s what I thought too but when I started looking back into Kane Antiquities their name comes up all over the place.” 

“Where are they based?”

“That’s the thing. No one knows. From what I’m being told, they operate strictly through word of mouth. If someone wants something somehow, they find you.”

Abby made her way over to her desk where her laptop sat and turned it on. “Why do I find all this highly suspicious?”

“Wait, it gets better. Most of the interactions with the City of Light and Kane Antiquities had taken place with Kane Senior. The one under investigation has been the first since his passing.”

She clicked her tongue impatiently while she waited for her laptop to connect to the hotel’s wifi. “We need to find out who they are and talk with them.”

“I’m already on it. Last night I met with David and Nate and they told me they can get me in touch with the woman involved with The City of Light. But there’s something about all this, I don’t know. I think there’s more here to investigate. I can’t say for sure if it’s coming from the inside. My gut feeling it isn’t but it’s something that the Kane brothers should be aware of.”

“I’m going to talk with them today, but first I’m going to head down to the port and see this item for myself.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be in touch.”

"Alright and Jackson?”

“Yeah?”

She felt like it didn’t need to be said, and she never had to say it, but something about this made her nervous. “Be careful.”

He gave a tight laugh and then said, “Always” before ending the call. 

Pulling up safari, Abby typed in The City of Light and spent a good hour searching and finding next to nothing. 

After reaching a dead end she went to get dressed. She didn’t think so before, but something was happening at Kane Antiques and she was determined to find out what exactly.

* * *

Gabriel had been working since before the sun came up. He went home and tried to sleep, but it was elusive, and so he’d gotten dressed and drove to work. Not one to like surprises, he pulled up all the purchases made since the beginning of Kane Antiquities and began the tedious process of going through them one by one. By eight o’clock when his assistant got to work, he had only made it through the first ten years. 

It wasn’t until just after nine when he found something that made him sharply inhale a drink of his coffee, spilling some down his shirt.  Normally he would have changed immediately, but the document on his screen intrigued him. “What the fuck?”

“Is this a bad time?”

Gabriel’s head snapped up, and he clicked to minimize the screen quickly. “Alexander, no. Come in.” He gave his assistant a nod, who stood at the door glowering at Alexander probably for barging in. “Thank you, Nadia.”

She left without a word, leaving Alexander frowning at her. “Rather cold, isn’t she?”

He gave a slight shrug. “Not at all. She minds her business and doesn’t put up with my brother or his upbeat, pain in the ass assistant’s shit. That’s why I like her.”

Alexander’s eyebrows rose. “Whatever works for you, I say.”

“How can I help you?”

“Nothing just dropping by to give you this before I hand one over to your brother.”

Gabriel stood and took the file from him. “And what’s this?”

“Aside from Dr. Griffin, we’ve conducted our own investigation. I think you’ll want to be aware of some of the things we’ve uncovered before you meet with her.”

Gabriel considered the man in front of him. Dr. Alexander had been his father’s right-hand man for nearly thirty years. Gabriel always thought of him as a soft-spoken voice of reason, however now Gabriel saw a more cunning man underneath the surface. 

He flipped through the pages trying not to look too intrigued, though he wondered if they had found the same as he. “Anything I need to be concerned about?”

“Concerned, no, nothing like that. Just informed, I would say.”

That had him raising an eyebrow. “Alright. I’ll have a look.” Just as Alexander opened his mouth, his cell phone rang.

Alexander hesitated then gave a small nod. “I’ll leave you to it.”

Brow furrowing, Gabriel answered it. 

The voice of the man he had told only to contact him for only one reason spoke. “Mr. Kane, sir?”

“What is it, Shumway?”

“You wanted to know when she arrived.”

“Yes,” he replied though he didn’t need to. The call was more than enough to know what the man was about to tell him. 

“She’s here.”

He swallowed through the tightness in his throat. “Thank you. Keep an eye on her. I’m on my way.”

He dropped the file on his desk, locked his computer, and left.


End file.
